The 5 worst current MLB contracts we're thankful the Mets avoided adding to the payroll

You miss one-hundred percent of the shots you don’t take. Sometimes it’s good to miss. The ever-active New York Mets have been in on practically everyone in the past few offseasons. They hit on some. They’ve missed on others.

In these five instances, the Mets were fortunate they didn’t get ink on paper.

1) Javier Baez

Of all the weird things that have happened with the Mets in the Steve Cohen era, the best might’ve been the summer’s thumbs down fiasco. Led by Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez, it definitely seemed to have some basis as to why the Mets didn’t invite Baez back for another year. They had no way of moving on from Lindor. They showed restraint in not re-signing Baez who had a pretty terrific stint in Flushing. Despite the controversy, they were in on him in the offseason.

Baez batted .299/.371/.515 in 47 games for the Mets. Those are the kind of numbers he could only dream about posting today. Once a prolific slugger and fielder for the Chicago Cubs, Baez’s weaknesses have come out in full force ever since he left the Mets.

Baez ended up with a six-year $140 million deal from the Detroit Tigers. He’s still a good defensive player, but his seasons in Detroit have been a prolonged slump.

In year one, Baez hit .238/.278/.393 with 17 home runs. He followed it up with a .222/.267/.325 performance. In those 136 games for the 2023 Tigers he hit as many home runs as he hit with the Mets, 9.

The story hasn’t changed early on in 2024. Although the reputation is he strikes out a ton, his percentage has gone down from early seasons with the Chicago Cubs. The bigger problem seems to be not hitting the ball nearly as hard. He has been under 40% in each season in Detroit. Add in some of those classic swings and misses on pitches nowhere near the strike zone plus virtually no ability to draw a walk and we have a very beatable hitter we’re glad didn’t return to the Mets.